Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered

207/260“But we still kin run,” Tea Cake shouted and they ran. The gushingwater ran faster. The great body was held back, but rivers spoutedthrough fissures in the rolling wall and broke like day. The three fugitivesran past another line of shanties that topped a slight rise andgained a little. They cried out as best they could, “De lake is comin’!”and barred doors flew open and others joined them in flight crying thesame as they went. “De lake is comin’!” and the pursuing watersgrowled and shouted ahead, “Yes, Ah’m comin’!”, and those who couldfled on.They made it to a tall house on a hump of ground and Janie said,“Less stop heah. Ah can’t make it no further. Ah’m done give out.”“All of us is done give out,” Tea Cake corrected. “We’se goin’ insideout dis weather, kill or cure.” He knocked with the handle of his knife,while they leaned their faces and shoulders against the wall. Heknocked once more then he and Motor Boat went round to the backand forced a door. Nobody there.“Dese people had mo’ sense than Ah did,” Tea Cake said as theydropped to the floor and lay there panting. “Us oughta went on wid’Lias lak he ast me.”“You didn’t know,” Janie contended. “And when yuh don’t know,yuh just don’t know. De storms might not of come sho nuff.”They went to sleep promptly but Janie woke up first. She heard thesound of rushing water and sat up.“Tea Cake! Motor Boat! De lake is comin’!”The lake was coming on. Slower and wider, but coming. It hadtrampled on most of its supporting wall and lowered its front by